Signal-box for fire-telegraph and other circuits



(No Model;)

J. 0. WILSON.

SIGNAL BOX FOR. FIRE TELEGRAPH AND OTHER GIRGUITS.

No. 344,430. Patented June 29, 1886.

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STATES JOHN CORNELIUS \VILSON, OF BOSTON,

MUNICIPAL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF

SIGNAL-BOX FOR FlRE-TELEG To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, J OHN CORNELIUS WIL- soN, of Boston, county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in 5Signal-Boxes, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

My invention relating to a signal-box, such as employed for fire-alarmand police-district systems, hasfor its object to prevent tampering withthe boxes by unauthorized persons; audit consists, mainly,in thecombination, with the startinglever of the motor adapted to be Ioperated from the outside of an inclosing-case for the said motor, ofalocking device for the said lever, adapted to be disengaged therefrom bya suitable key, and means to retain the said key when inserted for thepurpose of releasing the lever,so that it cannot subsequently be removedwithout opening the inclosingcase or outer box for the motor, which isitself provided with a lock of any usual construction. The door of thebox co-operates with the locking device for the starting-lever, holdingit in operative position while the said door is closed,and when the saiddoor is opened the said locking device is disengaged from thestarting-lever, so that it may operate freely. The inclosing case or boxis shown in this in stance as used in connection with a multiplesignalapparatus invented by me and forming the subject of another applicationfor Letters Patent, the said apparatus having a dial and 5 pointer bywhich a signal-controlling device may be placed in proper position togive any desired signal, it being normally held in one particularposition when the outer box forming the subject of the present inventionis closed, so that a person provided with a key for unlocking thestarting-lever may send the signal for which the pointer is thus set,but cannot send the other signals, which can only be sent when the doorof the box is opened by a person having a key that will operate tounlock the said door. Thus in a police system the citizens will beprovided with keys for releasing the starting-lever, and thus sendingthe normal signal and number of the box or station, and the said keywill be retained in the box, so as to indicate who operated it,

PATENT union.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PORTSMOUTH, NEYV HAMPSHIRE.

RAPH AND OTHER CIRCUITS.

Patent No. 344,430, dated June 29, 1886.

Serial No. 92,632}. No model.)

and can be released only when a policeman or other authorized personhaving a key to the door of the box arrives and opens the box, the saidperson then being able to move the pointer, and thus send any of thesignals that the box is capable of producing.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a signalbox embodying this invention,the door being shown as open; and Fig. 2, a vertical section thereofshowing the locking device for the starting-lever in position to lockthe saidlever, the door of the boxbeing closed.

The signaling mechanism a,or motor for operating a break-wheel andconnected parts, is inclosed in a strong metal case or outer box, b,having in one side a curved slot, 0, through which is extended the knobor handle d for the operating-lever, by which the mechanism at is set inmotion to send its signal, the said lever c releasing or winding themainspring of the mechanical motor, carrying the break- Wheel in anyusual manner. In order to start the motor, the said lever, with itsknob, is to be pulled downward to the end of the slot 0 and thenreleased, when it will return under thev action of the mainspring of themotor to the position with the knob at top of the slot 0, as shown inthe drawings. Thisdownward movement of the knob d is normally resistedby a locking device, shown as a lever, f, pivoted at 2 upon the insideof the box I), it being shown as provided at its upper end with ayielding projection, h, longitudinally movable in a short tube, 1',attached to the said lockinglever, the said projection or bolth beingpressed outward by a spring, h, inclosed in the said tube 6, and beingengaged by the door D of the box when closed, as shown in Fig. 2, andthus holding the end of the locking-leverf in 0 engagement with thestarting-lever e, and thus preventing the latter from being moved.\Vhen, however, it is desired to start'the motor so as to send a signal,the locking device f may be disengaged from the lever e by means of akey inserted through the keyhole 7c, the said key being rotated in thedirection of the arrow 3, Fig. 2, and the end of the said key strikingthe lower end of thelever f and turning it on its pivot 2, so as todisengage its up too per end from the end of the starting-lever e, thespring h then yielding, and the projection h entering the tubei as thesaid lever f is thus.

turned. A suitable shoulder, 4, on thelever f,and preferably also astop-pin, 5,0n the;

being turned back sufficiently to .enable an). be removed from thekey-hole, so that when- Io the key has once been inserted and turned torelease the starting-lever e the said key cannot be removed so long asthe door D of the box remains closed, and is thus retained to indicatethe party who operated..:the signal.

When, however, the door D is opened, the

stop m or locking device for the key is removed from the path of thekey, so that the latter can be.turned back and removedfrom.

the key-hole,- and at; the same timethe projection hat the upper end ofthe leverf is dis engaged, permitting. the said lever to turn freely inthedirection to release the starting lever c, it being moved by a lightspring, it, not sufficient to overcome the spring h" when 2 5 the doorisclosed. A stop, 6, limits the movement of the .1ever..-f under. theactionof the spring .n, whilethestop 5 for thekeyalso serves to limitthemovement of the leverf toward the leverewhen notwinengagement otherewith.

The inner. box, a, containing. the signaling mechanism, is shown asprovidedwith apoint-l er, P-, operated by a knob, 0, the movement of thesaidpointer controlling a series. of. diff 61%.

5 ent signaling-surfaceaas described inianother application tiled by meforamultiple signalbox, so that when the door D is opened the i saidpointer may be turned in order to send.

in any desiredone of. a large number of dif 4o ferent signalsin additionto the signal indicatingthenumber of the box whenthe leverw e isoperated by the knob d, the said lever. beingfree tomove when the doorDis open.

It is not-intended that. the persons. .operat-.

preventthe door D from beingclosed, except whenthe said knob andpointer.arein one. normal position, the door -D being provided.

with a recess, 7, to receive the knobwhen in the said normal position..

The-.leverf may be. provided with one or: more .teethor projections, 17,to prevent the key from being, turned back. and withdrawn afterithasbeen turned tounlock the lever. e. The knobd may have a curvedguard to cover the slots.

I claim- 1. In a signal apparatus, the combination of the outer box andstarting-lever adapted to be'operated from the outside of the box with alocking device for the said start ing-lever adapted to be operated tounlock the lever by a key inserted from the outside ofthe:box,substantially as described.

2. Thebox and. starting-lever adapted to be operated from the outside ofthe box, combined with the locking device for the said lever, adapted tobe operated by a key inserted from the outside of the box, and the stopspreventing the withdrawal of the key, substantially-asandfor the purposedescribed.

3. The box and its movable door, combined with the starting-lever andlocking device therefor, adapted to be operated by a key from theoutside of the box, the said door co-operating with the locking deviceandkey, substantially as described.

. 4. The box having a movable door and the starting-lever, combined withthe locking-leyerf and yielding projection 71. thereon, substantially asdescribed.

5. The box and-its movable door provided with the yielding key engagingprojection m, combined with the starting-lever and its lockingdevice,-said locking device being disengaged: by a keyfrom theoutside ofthe box, substantially as described.

6. A signal box having a movable door and transmitting mechanism, theoperation of which is controlled by a key inserted from theoutside ofthebox while the door is closed, and a locking device for the said keyoperated by the movement of the door preventing the withdrawal oi thekey when the door is closed and releasingor unlocking said key when. thedoor is open, substantially as described.

7. A signal-box, a' door to close the same, andv a. multiplesignal-transmitter having a movable pointer and a co-operating dialnormally concealed by the door, the pointer being normally set to causethe transmitter to senda-predetermined signal, but accessible when thedoor is opened to be turned to enable other besides the predeterminedsignal to behsent, combinedwith a motor mechanism toroperate the saidsignal transmitter and send the signal normally set by the pointer whilethe said signal-transmitter remains unexposed, and to send other signalswhen the signal-transmitter is exposed and its condition changed,substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification inthepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CORNELIUS WILSON.

Witnesses:

J os. P. LIVERMQRE, W. H. SIGs'roN.

